Electronic Groove presents: ‘Alone & Together’

Global DJs send a message of unity to the dance music community.

Update: We are proud to report that Alone & Together has been approved by the UN’s Office for Partnerships! We have updated the video-message below to include the official COVID-19 Response logo.

Electronic Groove is proud to present a video message of support featuring DJs and producers from around the globe discussing their personal experiences with COVID-19 isolation and how they are overcoming adversity in these troubling times.

The three-minute piece, which was also submitted as an official entry for the UN’s World Health Organization campaign, features twenty-four artists including Hernan Cattaneo, Behrouz, Blond:ish, Dave Seaman, Tara Brooks, Victor Ruiz, and many more who offered solidarity, words of encouragement and constructive ideas on how to be kind to ourselves and make the best of this crisis.

Electronic Groove founder, Mauricio Viana explained how the idea came to be: ‘With the entire nightlife industry on hold, we wanted to contribute something positive, so we asked artists to tell us how they were coping. We are grateful to the artists who took the time to send us their videos and we hope that this message of support helps as many people as possible’.

Director Javier Romero added, ‘The idea of the video arose with a need to create, express and transmit during these difficult times. We did not know whether to make a script or simply let each of the artists express themselves freely. We chose the second one, and the result was beautiful. Though the film is just 3 minutes now, there were nearly 75 minutes of video content sent to us’.

The artists dive into a variety of topics from healing the planet, keeping mentally and physically healthy, staying creative, taking breaks and connecting with one another. San Francisco DJ Shane One, inspired the film’s title when he observed that ‘going through this global experience alone together unites us’ –– having the potential to be our greatest moment. This idea was echoed by many artists like Behrouz who observed that now is the time to help each other. Blond:ish talks about creating value in her community. Endor encourages us to look beyond ourselves, while Berlin’s Hannes Bieger reminds us that times like this is when our true character is revealed. Most artists agreed that this global pause will inspire us to come back renewed and stronger than before.

Though the dance music industry is front and center, the concepts are universal. That’s why Electronic Groove decided to make an additional edit to submit as an entry for the UN’s World Health Organization. The UN’s Office of Partnerships and Sustainable Development Goals issued a ‘Global Call to Creatives to Fight COVID-19’. The goal was to have creators everywhere make public service announcements about messages like social distancing, myth-busting, and kindness.

Jessica Perri, a contributing writer for Electronic Groove explains how the two projects came together. ‘‘I was working on two separate projects at the time––one was the UN’s ‘COVID-19’ campaign and the other was Electronic Groove‘s message of support. When the first artist videos came in, I realized that the insights from DJs and producers were valuable for everyone, not just the dance music world. The team agreed, so we made an edit to submit to the WHO effort. Hopefully, the UN also sees the value and welcomes the voice of our community into the global conversation’.

To make it in time for the new WHO deadline which was April 14th, the film needed a backing track quickly. Electronic Groove turned to the Mercury-prize-nominated producer Raz Olsher at his isolation studio in Thailand. In March Raz, travelled from London to Phuket to play Colours of Love but when the pandemic hit, the festival was cancelled and Raz stayed to produce some new music. The track synced with the film is ‘Corona Chronicles #5‘ ––part of a larger series.

Utilizing a track made by a producer while in COVID-19 isolation exemplifies the kind of spirit that the film wants to amplify. We are in physically different places but we can still create, share and grow alone & together.